bought

American  

[bawt] / bɔt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of buy.

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adjective

1. South Midland and Southern U.S. store-bought.

bought British  

/ bɔːt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of buy

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adjective

1. purchased from a shop; not homemade

bought Idioms  

1. see under buy.

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Other Word Forms

• unbought
  adjective
• well-bought
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bought

First recorded before 900, for the adjective for an earlier sense

Compare meaning

How does bought compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bought vs. brought

Example Sentences

Bought for the person you imagine yourself becoming.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

While Durrell's life was made into a book and popular TV series, Mee's story was made into a Hollywood film - We Bought a Zoo - with Matt Damon playing him.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Bought with a $300,000 federal grant, it’s been operational only about three of the twelve months since then, due to maintenance and a learning curve with charging.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 25, 2024

She has run a consumer recommendation podcast, newsletter and Instagram under the “Gee Thanks, Just Bought It!” title since 2019.

From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2023

Some examples of cumulative songs are “Hey Ho, the Rattlin’ Bog,” “There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly,” “The Green Grass Grew all Around,” “Allouette,” and “I Bought me a Cat.”

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin